


Runaway Royalty

by mattaretto



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-07 15:25:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16856521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mattaretto/pseuds/mattaretto
Summary: The death of your father leads to you going into hiding until you can reclaim the throne.





	Runaway Royalty

**Author's Note:**

> You'll come to find that I really like royal aus

You looked around, pulling the dark cloak further around you. Hearing the clank of metal, you turned and pretended to look at some fruits, picking one up to test it. 

The guards ran by and you turned away, forgetting about the plum you held in your hand. You needed to get out of the city and fast. If you didn’t, who knows what would happen to you. You’d likely be charged with treason, and for that, you would be hanged. You couldn’t risk it, especially when you had done nothing wrong.

“You need to pay for that!” You turned back to see the merchant, standing with his arms crossed over his broad chest and he looked angry. You hurried over to him, pulling money out from the small bag you carried.

“Keep your voice down, please,” you spoke quickly, holding out more than enough money to pay for the plum. When he didn’t make a move to grab the money, you took his hand in yours, placing the money in his hand, ready to turn around and make a break for it.

“Hey, you’re the-”

“Yes. Shh, please, not so loud.” You looked around frantically as if the guards would be able to know it was you and run over to take you away. You pulled the hood further over your head, in the hopes to hide your features in the shadow it cast. Looking over his shoulder, you could see the royal guards making their way back toward the two of you, checking the face of every woman they passed. “I need your help, please. I will pay you for your troubles, and I promise to explain. Just, hide me, quickly, please,” You spoke in a hushed tone, the urgency of the situation evident in your voice.

Seeing the fear painted on your face, and the distress in your voice, the man grabbed your arm and pulled you behind his stall, pointing to underneath the table. “Crawl under.” You did so without hesitation, the cloth hanging over the front hiding you and only allowing you to see the muddied boots of the guards as they approached.

“There was a woman in a cloak here a second ago, where did she go?” A guard ordered you recognized the voice as Rumlow, the head of guards and the entire reason you were in your current predicament. He didn’t sound worried the way a guard should when the princess goes missing, rather he sound annoyed. Annoyed that he had to go out and hunt you down so that he could control you easily like he wanted.

“She left in a hurry after paying, rounded the corner up ahead, that’s all I know.” You were shocked at how well the man was able to lie but extremely glad that he could. You watched as the guard’s boots retreated, the man telling you to crawl out when it was safe. You hesitated and crawled out slowly, worried they would decide to come back and find you.

“Thank you so much for your help.”

“It was a pleasure to help you, princess, I’m James.”

“Please, just call me (Y/N),” you insisted with a smile, nodding your head slightly, James smiling back.

“I’d be happy to assist you further if you’re trying to hide.”

“You are not required to. Your assistance was more than helpful.”

“I want to, besides, I think you promised an explanation.”

At the end of the day, you helped him pack everything into his cart and sat in the single seat as he walked alongside the cart that was being pulled by a horse to his farm. Once there, you helped him unload everything and changed while he brought the horse to the stable. He gave you the smallest clothes he owned, but they were still too big for you.

The clothes weren’t as soft as some of the clothes in the palace, but they were much more comfortable than the dress you were previously wearing. The clothing was dull in color, muted blues, and greys, completely different from the bright reds, purples, whites, and golds you were used to.

When he entered, he told to sit in the only chair while he prepared food. You watched as he moved about the kitchen, pulling down a plate and placing some food on it. He grabbed a mug next, pouring water into from a pitcher. He walked over, placing both items in front of you.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have much else. I’m sure you’re used to much better at the palace,” he spoke quietly, bowing his head slightly and you giggled.

“No need for formalities, James. Besides, this is more than I have been receiving at the palace for the past few weeks.” You picked up the mug, drinking the water from it quickly to help with the dehydration you had been suffering from.

“What do you mean? You’re the princess, surely you eat well and such.” Shrugging, you picked up the biscuit and took a bite from it.

“Could I have some more water, please?” You covered your mouth as you spoke, lifting the mug slightly. He nodded quickly, taking the mug to fetch more water. After you swallowed the bit of biscuit in your mouth, you spoke again, “I used to eat well.”

Handing you the mug of water, he rose an eyebrow in question, “My father passed three weeks ago.” You spoke quietly, not sure where to start. James took a seat on the ground beside the table, sitting with his legs crossed as he looked up at you wide-eyed.

“There wasn’t an announcement. Surely there would’ve been an announcement.” There was a moment of silence before he spoke again, “That means you’re the queen.”

“Not technically, not until a crowning ceremony is held. Until that is arranged the head guard is in charge, in this case, that is Rumlow. But rather than making the announcement and allowing me to start the plans for the crowning ceremony, he locked me in my chambers. I suspect that he killed my father.” You ate some more of the food, grateful to have something to eat.

“Why would he do that? If you’re able to get the word out, that makes it dangerous for him. Why would he risk his life like that?”

“Power. He wants power, he always has. My father was unable to see that, allowing him to rise to his position. And if he assumes power, he will undoubtedly make Zemo his advisor. I was dangerous to him, I was the only one who saw the truth. Hence why I was locked up.” You finished your last bit of food and drank the rest of your water. Before you were able to stand and put your dishes in the sink, James was up and clearing your plates. “I could have done that, you know.”

He shrugged, “You’re the princess, you shouldn’t have to.”

“And you’re not required to house a runaway, yet here we are.” You stood, looking around the small living area and kitchen, “I hope not sound prestigious or rude in any way, but do you all live like this? With so little food and space?”

He shrugged again, his back muscles flexing as he did the dishes, “Some are better off than others. I run the farm here on my own and sell what I can. It’s enough to get by, but there are definitely difficult months.” You frowned, lowering your head as you thought about the amount of food you had at the palace.

“What do you do now? I assume you can’t go back to the palace, not with Rumlow and the men looking for you like they are.” He turned around rag in his hands, watching as you nodded.

“That’s correct. They will most likely charge me with treason, and not knowing who stands with Rumlow makes it dangerous.”

“That’ll get you hanged.” He interjected, looking at you with wide eyes.

“I know. I have to get a letter to someone.” You looked down, beginning to think about what the letter would say.

“You said yourself, you don’t know who stands with Rumlow. For all, you know it could be the entire royal guard.” 

You grinned, looking up and making eye contact with him, “There is one person. His name is Steve Rogers. He should have been the head guard, but my father wanted Rumlow as the head guard. Can you get a letter to him?” James nodded and you smiled. 

Throughout the week, James had allowed you to stay at his farm keeping you updated on what was happening. Word got around that you were missing, and that the king was dead. Rumlow was ruling now, and according to James things got worse. 

Finally, Steve made the trip to the farm, wearing regular clothes rather than those that indicate a royal guard. You were working in the field, doing your best to take care of the animals. It was something you’d never done before, but James had shown you. He found it humorous to watch you do your best not get dirty only to fall into the mud. 

Hearing the horse and cart, you moved around to the front of the house. You greeted James with a hug, telling him you had dinner done and fed the animals. He smiled and thanked you, heading into the house. Steve stared at you, tilting his head as he tried to figure out if it was really you.

“Princess?” Steve asked, staring you with wide eyes as he assessed you. You smiled widely, happy to see someone that you recognize someone from the palace that wasn’t trying to kill you. You walked over, wrapping your arms around his shoulders in greeting.

“Steve!” You exclaimed, pulling back and keeping your hands on his shoulders, “How bad are things in the palace?” He continued to stare at you, taking in the dirt that covered your clothing. 

“You’ve been staying here?” You nodded and dropped your hands from his shoulders, “And.. you’ve been doing work?” You giggled and rolled your eyes slightly.

“I have to repay him somehow and until we can get this all sorted. Come inside so we can discuss how to proceed from here.” He nodded and you led him inside, James standing and leaning against the table like he always did so you could have the chair. 

“James you can sit down.” You pushed his shoulders slightly, pushing him toward the chair. He rolled his eyes and sat down like you wanted him too, causing you to smile once he actually sat down.  Steve leaned against one of the walls and you pushed yourself to sit on the table.

“Things haven’t been good, I’ll be honest. Rumlow has us out doing some shady stuff. Some of us at least, me and several others haven’t been trusted with whatever it is.” Steve ran a hand through his hair to brush it from his face. It was longer from the last time you saw him.

“Several others? How many people are loyal to Rumlow?” You watched Steve try not to cringe as James spoke with food in his mouth.

“A handful of us. Myself, Barton, Odinson, Laufeyson, Stark, Banner, the twins, and Romanoff.” You sighed, running a hand over your face.

“How are you going to.. fix things? Everyone thinks you’re dead.” James spoke, no longer having food in your mouth. 

“We are just going to have to be smart about this.”

The plan wasn’t simple. It started with trying to get Rumlow to trust a few of them, preferably Romanoff, to figure out exactly what Rumlow’s plans were. It took nearly two months for Romanoff to get remotely close to Rumlow, and would probably take another month or two to get close enough. You didn’t have that kind of time.

Steve showed up one day out of the blue, it was Sunday, the one day James didn’t go to the market, and since you were staying with him doing the chores went by a lot faster. So you were sat outside under the oak tree with your head in his lap and his hands running through your hair as you read to him aloud.

Hearing the beating of hooves on the ground, you and James looked up to see Steve on his horse galloping toward the farm. You stood quickly, James right behind you as you jogged to meet Steve. The horse reared as he stopped and you looked up at him.

“Steve, what’s going on?” You asked, seeing the look on his face.

“It’s Romanoff. She’s been compromised.” With wide eyes you looked at James, he had been crucial in helping to plan everything. He ran a hand through his hair, turning around and walking away slightly out of frustration. He turned back around, turning to the pair of you.

“Alright. It’s now or never. Go and change back into your dress and go with him. I’ll follow behind in case you need the help.” You ran back into the house, leaving James to saddle up Abby. You skipped the corset, knowing you wouldn’t be able to get into it on your own. Looking at the red dress, you touched the long, tulle skirt, wondering if this was really worth it.

Pulling off the clothes you had gotten used to, the dress felt scratchy as you pulled it over your head. The beaded bodice hugged your skin, making you want to rip the tight clothing off. Around your hips, the cloth became looser and hung loosely. The beads continued down the skirt cascading down like a waterfall. You adjusted the sheer cape-like sleeves, staring at the beading that adorned the sleeves.

After two months of helping on the farm, seeing yourself in the fancy dress was foreign. You grabbed the dark velvet cloak, wrapping it over your shoulders and tying it at the front. Since your shoes had been ruined when you left, you decided to go without them.

You walked outside, seeing that only James was there. You walked over and rose an eyebrow, wondering where Steve had gone.

“Did Steve leave? I thought I was going with him.”

James nodded, “He went back to tell the others we’re doing this today. We’ll ride back, c’mon.” He mounted Abby, holding out a hand to help you on. Hiking up your skirt so it bunched around your waist, you took his hand and put your foot into the stirrup, bouncing on the ball of your foot a few times before throwing your leg over the horse.

The fabric tore and you laughed when James freaked. Two months ago you would have been freaking alongside him, but now it was such a minor issue, you found it amusing. James heard your laughing and brushed it off, setting off toward the palace.

By the time you arrived, people had gathered at the at the stage, crowding in as tightly as they could. People were pressed against the stage, whispering amongst themselves to see what was going on. James stopped the horse on the outside of the crowd, both of you staring over the sea of people. Steve was on the stage with Odinson and Barton. Laufeyson on the far right side of the stage, and Stark on the far left. You could make a few others scattered throughout the crowd.

“Can you get through them?” You asked looking over his shoulder to look at the crowd.

“Yea, just sit how you normally would and cover yourself with the cloak.” 

“That requires getting off of the horse and getting back off.” 

“Fine then just cover yourself and keep your head down.” Nodding, you did as he said and used the cloak to cover you. You lifted the hood and lowered your head, once more allowing yourself to hide in the shadows.

He moved his way to the front, shouting at people to move out of the way. They wouldn’t move at first, but once they saw the horse they jumped out of the way, shouting profanities at the pair of you.

Finally getting to the stage, Steve and Thor moved to help you off the horse and onto the stage. People began to whisper more, parting for the horses that started to make their way to the stage. From Steve’s face, and the way he pulled you behind him, you knew that it was Rumlow and his men.

“What is going on here?” You recognized Rumlow’s voice and grew angry. Before Steve was able to stop you, you moved out from behind him and pulled the hood back. The crowd gasped and Rumlow stared at you with his mouth hung open.

“You’re dead. You were supposed to be dead. Crawford said you were dead!” He exclaimed, and you grinned.

“As you can see, I am not.” Everyone was talking among themselves frantically, as they watched the scene before they unfold. Steve had his hand on his sword, the others as well. James was now standing behind you, no sword but ready to fight if it came down to it.

“There’s nothing you can do. I am the king.” Thinking he won, he grinned and crossed his arms.

“But you see, you are only king because there was no one of royal blood left in line for the throne. As you can see, there is someone of royal blood in line for the throne, and you are no longer king. For your crimes against the kingdom, you will be sentenced to death, carried out in the morning.”

“Crimes against the kingdom? I’ve done nothing wrong.” James scoffed behind you and you kept yourself from letting out a small laugh.

“Crimes against the kingdom? How about we start with the murder of my father, then my imprisonment in my chambers, hunting me down when I left the palace, and lastly plotting to kill me. Odinson, Laufeyson, if you could take him to a cell please, I want all of his associates there as well. And see to it that Romanoff is released, please.”

“With pleasure, princess.”

“Just (Y/N), please.” They nodded and moved to arrest him, forcing his hands behind his back as he protested. The crowd cheered and clapped, all the while you smiled knowing things would be turning around. You faced James and Steve, grinning happily at the two.

“Thank you both for helping, this would have been difficult without the both of you. Now come, we have a lot of work to do.” Steve nodded and walked to his horse, James staring at you with confusion.

“It was a pleasure to help (Y/N), but I have to get back to the farm.”

“Actually, James, I was hoping you would take the position of my advisor, or something similar. You would have to train more, but I could use someone like you around here.” He paused, trying to figure out if you were joking or not before nodding.

“I would like that very much.”


End file.
